Jackson County man now facing murder charge in domestic violence death, police say
A Jackson County man is now facing a charge of second-degree murder in the killing of his ex-girlfriend, Nina Cumbest, following her death from injuries in a domestic violence attack, Gautier police Capt. Jerry Killingsworth said Friday.
Terrance Sierra McNaughton, 21, is being served with the warrant at the Jackson County Jail, where he has been held without bond since May 20, Killingsworth said.
McNaughton was facing a charge of attempted murder after police said he ran her over in a pickup truck near a Chevron gas station on Mississippi 57 in Gautier.
Cumbest suffered life-threatening injuries that left her in a coma, and in and out of consciousness for some time before she died Tuesday night.
Her mother, Paige Cumbest, said her daughter, 27, passed away at home surrounded by those who loved her.
Nina Cumbest had done everything she could to try to protect herself from harm.
She had gotten a protection order to try to keep McNaughton away from her prior to the May 6 incident that ultimately led to her death. Her family said he ignored the protection orders and told her in previous alleged attacks that he would kill her.
After allegedly running over her in his pickup truck in May, Gautier police said he fled the scene but got into an accident a short distance away.
He suffered injuries in the unrelated accident, received treatment and was later booked initially on a felony aggravated domestic violence charge. That charge was later upgraded to attempted murder. With her death came the upgraded second-degree murder charge.
In October 2020, authorities first arrested McNaughton on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in another alleged assault.
In another incident on April 24, McNaughton allegedly assaulted her, was charged with another count of misdemeanor domestic violence by simple assault and bonded out of jail again.
In the April incident, McNaughton allegedly ran his ex-girlfriend’s car off the road and repeatedly punched her through a car window while telling her he was going to kill her.
After her last alleged attack, she was in a vegetative state at times and mostly hospitalized before her family was able to bring her home to care for her there.
After the last alleged assault, family and friends created Nina’s Voice, an online group that has swelled since her death to over 4,500 members wanting to help seek justice for her and to raise awareness to deadly dangers of domestic violence in Mississippi and across the country.
Many of her supporters question why McNaughton was repeatedly allowed to bond out of jail after previous alleged attacks during which he allegedly threatened to kill her.
Funeral services for Nina Cumbest are Tuesday at Southern Mississippi Funeral Services at 6631 Washington Avenue, in Jackson County, with a private family visitation from 4-5 p.m.
Family and friends are invited to pay tribute to her with the visitation beginning at 5 p.m. following the funeral service at 7 p.m.
“We want to welcome any of her friends, supporters, and anyone who knew her to come to her service,” her mother said. “All we ask is to please let our family have our time from 4-5 (p.m.).”
If you are a victim of domestic violence in South Mississippi and need help, you can call the crisis line at the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence at 1-800-800-1396.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 9:45 AM.
